Six key questions for the Pacers season
By TYLER SMITH
ISL Editor
Another NBA season has arrived, and for the first time in many years, the Indiana Pacers have big expectations. Was last year’s conference finals appearance a fluke, or simply year one of an extended window of competing in the East?
One thing is for sure: the coaches and players have been saying all the right things leading up to Opening Night. They keep preaching defense. They sound hungry. They sound like they’re ready to prove themselves all over again. Talk is cheap, however. It’s time to prove it on the court.
If the Pacers want another deep run in the playoffs this season, they will need a good response to the following questions. Here are six burning questions for the season ahead:
•Will Jarace Walker or Bennedict Mathurin take a leap?
It’s year three for Mathurin, and year two for Walker. The Pacers were able to make some noise at the end of last season without either of these recent lottery picks contributing down the stretch. We know the talent is there for each player. Experience and overall fit for this team will be the main factors to their success. It’s possible they both contribute with the second unit, or get the occasional start if there are injuries. It’s also possible one or both find themselves out of the rotation if they don’t produce on a deep team. To me, if even one of Walker/Mathurin take a step forward this season, the Pacers will be in excellent shape.
•How will Myles Turner play in another contract year?
Turner is no stranger to trade rumors or contract speculation. The Pacers cannot extend him this time around until after the season. He hasn’t let things of this nature hurt his performance in the past, and I don’t expect it to impact him negatively this year either. If anything, it will motivate him even more. If Turner can stay healthy like last season, we should expect similar (or better) numbers than his last two impressive seasons. Fans would love to see more rebounds from Turner this year. A big season out of Turner will go a long way in the Pacers’ success, before he gets the bag from Indy or someone else next summer.
•Haliburton’s hammies?
Tyrese Haliburton was putting up historic numbers before his injury issues last year. Will this year’s team get the All-NBA version, something closer to how he finished last season (still a very high level player), or something in between? Haliburton isn’t a system player. He IS the system. This team can survive small stretches without their franchise player, but they want to avoid the long stretches at all costs. If Haliburton can stay healthy this season, I’m not sure anyone actually knows how good this Pacers team can actually be.
•Indiana or Iniana?
After January, the Pacers became a slightly below average defensive team. Can they do that or better for a full season? It’s one thing to talk about it. It’s another thing to be about it. This is a really tough league with incredibly gifted offensive players every single night. Keeping the defensive motivation and intensity on a nightly basis is a challenge, especially when you can rely on a great offense. We have a good idea the overall defense will be improved from start to finish this season. The question is, will it be improved enough?
•Another win-now trade this season?
The Pacers are probably still a piece away from being legit contenders. That piece is a big wing who can defend, rebound, and bring some toughness. Could they find that missing link before the trade deadline this year?
•Can the Pacers avoid the letdowns?
The Pacers may have been the 6-seed last year, but they were only three games back of being the 3-seed. They routinely beat the top teams in the league, only to follow those highs with some really ugly lows. It was a learning experience all season, and it’s something they can hopefully take with them this year. The “young team” excuse is no longer valid. And if the Pacers want to get a high seed and reach their dreams this season, this will be one of the biggest questions to monitor. All teams have some unexpected losses throughout a long season, but it can’t be what it was a year ago. It’s time for the Pacers to take care of business and play with urgency all season long.
